


Orange

by Scarlet_Nin



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Nara Shikamaru, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Blood and Violence, Childhood Trauma, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Good Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, Healing, How Do I Tag, Hurt, Mental Instability, Minato and Kushina had friends, Naruto has Kushina's cooking skills, Naruto has Minato's genius, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Protective Sakura Haruno, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, Secrets, Self-Doubt, Sharing a Bed, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, Uzumaki Naruto Has Issues, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-05-31 14:22:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15121307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Nin/pseuds/Scarlet_Nin
Summary: The Sandaime and Naruto have a little chat after the wave mission which leads to an unexpected outcome.It was a misunderstanding on the Hokage's part that made Naruto act. There's still that heavy, uneasy feeling in the back of his mind and in his stomach that won't let him forget what he nearly did. Being a Jinchuuriki is no fun and he knows the dangers.Which is why, he's knocking on Sasuke's door to warn him about the dangers of approaching him when he's using the Kyuubi chakra without giving his secret away.He hadn't counted on the Uchiha trying to get answers only to learn about something that makes him want to be his friend instead.





	1. Chapter 1

Slowly, one step in front of the other. Whispers followed him through the streets, but he ignored them. They were always the same, so he kept his head lowered, mulling over his thoughts as he gritted his teeth and pushed each step with enough force to shatter glass. It was like dragging twenty rocks the size of a house chained to his ankles along, but none of his steps made a sound, something which startled enough villagers.

_Can I speak to you alone, for a minute, Naruto?_

He knew what would follow after the old man had dismissed his team. The wave mission had been a huge disaster in the eyes of a Kage for more than obvious reasons and he dreaded coming back to his village as much as he longed to return to it. Kakashi-sensei had taken the brunt of the old man´s rage—so much killing intent had filled the room, Sakura had fallen to her knees and could not get back up. Even Sasuke had trembled a bit, but Naruto did not.

And it was not because he was close to the old man, but he let his teammates think that all the same.

_An A-rank mission, Kakashi! One of your students almost died!_

_You should have called for back-up!_

_I am seriously considering demoting you for the dangers you willingly let your students walk in—they are Genins on their first mission, not cold-hearted Shinobis. Be glad that none of them have perished._

_Your teaching skills are a shame…tree-walking should have been learnt a week after graduating them. Not on their first mission. Your teacher would be so disappointed in you, Kakashi._

_Do not let it happen again._

Kakashi had tried to protest, but a sharp glance from the old man and he was gone. Sasuke and Sakura went out after another burst of killing intent and Naruto found himself alone in the office, knowing that it did not matter what he said, the talk would happen.

And it did.

Perhaps, he was a bit too harsh in his replies to the old man, but it hurt. He had always been hot-headed, but for the first time, his anger had cooled to passive rage that left him seething inside, but not on the outside.

Loudness turned into silence.

_I thought he died! I didn´t want to…it was an accident!_

_Have you killed anyone?_

_Wha—No!_

_You must realize what you hold is not to be taken lightly! You could have slaughtered all your teammates and that innocent village if you lost control._

_I won´t use it again—it was horrible! So…dark and hateful. I don´t want to use—_

_That is not important. What is, is that you lost control for even a second. Jinchuuriki rarely have control over their beasts, lest of all children. There will always be a possible situation where you will draw upon its power…_

_And what about your behavior? I had thought you would take life a bit more serious now, knowing the consequences to foolish behavior in a mission. Instead of using the skills I know you possess, you have brought the life of your teammate in danger! You outright refused to use your stealth or inform your teammates about your skill set aside from the plan which you thought up to free your sensei!_

_Do you understand?_

Anger had clouded his mind, the pain a suffocating rope around his neck as he considered the words, let them wash over him as he stood in the office. This was not getting scolded for doing a prank or skipping school.

It was the Hokage speaking to him. Telling him he had no choice. It hurt, immensely so, but instead of flying of the handle, Naruto did what the man asked. He used his analytical instincts and waited until the man was finished before speaking up.

_Is that all I am? A weapon?_

_I understand perfectly which burden has been placed on me! You´re the one who does not understand!_

_You wouldn´t even have told me about what I contain had it not been for Mizuki´s scheme!_

_All you do is manipulate me and I trusted you, so don´t talk about the dangers of the Kyuubi using me to free it._

_Who are you concerned for—the village or me? Are you scared of the beast breaking out or the fact that my emotions are out of your control?_

_I will be careful in the future, I promise. No need to try to trick me into a promise._

A lot more things had been said which Naruto was sure he´d come to regret in a few days and the old man had looked like he was in deep pain, like he realized he made a mistake and desperately wanted to fix it.

But he´d given Naruto a time to cool off and that would be appreciated when the anger had faded to irritation. That wasn´t now, though, and the stares were grating on his nerves, so he shot off the ground landing on a roof before he faded into the shadows, running along until he came to the forest.

He saw Ino´s team and moved to wander further into another, deeper part.

“Seems like one of your classmate´s decided to visit us. Hello Naruto.”

Blue eyes snapped to the waving Sensei and the loud voice of Ino followed.

“Urgh! And here I thought it would be a nice and quiet afternoon! What are you doing here, come to bother us? Where´s forehead and Sasuke-kun?”

She walked over, glancing at him with interested in the answer to her question while Choji tugged a yawning Shikamaru along. They greeted him and while three out of four were nice, he found himself narrowing his eyes at the dizzy blonde in front of him, who´d had a hand on her hip, impatiently tapping her foot.

“You´re loud.”

He settled for saying, voice clipped and Ino took a step back in surprise at the coldness of his stare and words. The blonde gaped at him, opening her mouth and closing it a few times as Naruto gave a curt nod at his two classmates and at their sensei, before he turned and jumped up a tree, vanishing soon into the leaves and the shadows.

This was not how he handled people in general, but his stomach was still churning, and it felt like someone had closed their hand around his heart to freeze the burning core inside.

After landing in one of his favorite spots he´d discovered due to his early exploring days, he created clones and squared his shoulders, shifting one foot behind the other.

“Come.”

Each fist was calculated in strength as was each kick. He beat through his clones until his knuckles were bloody and open, his toes in the same state. His legs were aching from the force of his kicks and the speed he´d used on his escapes from being chased around the village by Anbu.

He collapsed to the ground, sitting down cross-legged as he held his head in his hands, panting slightly, ignoring the throbbing bruises on his skin and the taste of blood on his tongue. The clouds were darkening in the sky, which soon turned into rumbles and growls.

By the time the first drop of rain dropped down, Naruto had vanished from the clearing.


	2. Taking action

“Naruto?”

Sasuke asked incredulous at the sight in front of him. It was evening, almost too late to bother anyone for it to be considered polite, but of all people he´d thought come to hoard at his door, the blonde had not been on mind. Though, not many people dared to step into the empty Uchiha district.

And the dark-haired boy had thought about his annoying teammate a lot that afternoon. Being asked to stay back in the Hokage´s office was no fun, clearly it wasn´t if the weird expression on the blonde´s face was anything to go by.

Naruto had always been an open book on his emotions and sometimes a mystery—nobody could be that happy all the time. But Sasuke found it hard to guess what the idiot must be feeling right now for such a face. Vivid blue eyes were dark and hard, lips lightly pulled up at the corners, face smooth save for the occasional twitch.

“Hey, Bastard. I wanted to talk to you, can I come in?”

Sasuke blinked, thrown off at the forced politeness. He´d counted on the blonde barraging the door down and frowned. Sakura had been clinging to him like a leech during their journey and he was tired.

“No.”

He moved to close the door, but a tanned hand shot out and forcefully held it open. Sasuke scowled.

“It´s important.”

There was no real urgency in the voice like one would expect, just a strong implication of insistence and sincerity. It made the grip Sasuke had on the handle slacken.

“Ten minutes, dope.”

He moved inside, not pausing when he heard the sigh of relief and the door fall shut. He leads the blonde to his living room and sat down at the table, not offering anything. Naruto eyed the house a bit before coming to stand opposite in favor of sitting down.

Just when the silence continues to drag on and Sasuke gets ready to snap at the blonde to talk, he looks up and is rewarded with a bow. _Naruto_ has his head lowered to his waist, arms resting on his knees as he makes a parallel line to the floor.

Sasuke is shocked speechless.

“It was fucking stupid what you´ve done for me, taking that blow. I didn´t even ask you for help, but you still saved my life. So…thank you, Sasuke, but it wasn´t necessary. I would have healed faster than you.”

That made the Uchiha scoff as Naruto rose, lips tugging downwards as Sasuke crosses his arms.

“Right. Is that all you came here for?”

“You don´t believe me.” Naruto points out, taking a seat as he takes out a kunai and holds out his hand. Sasuke jumps slightly when the blonde slices down the palm of his hand without wincing, but the blonde tells him to watch.

It doesn´t take three minutes for the wound to finish healing close on its own.

“Why the fuck would you do something so stupid?! Didn´t you have that goal? Killing your brother or something? Why give it up for mine?”

“I don´t know.”

Sasuke snaps, glaring across the table, but Naruto looks entirely unimpressed. It´s unfair, that Sasuke is the one who´s seething with rage and flexing his fingers under the table while the blonde sits perfectly still on his seat.

“Bullshit.”

“I don´t know why I saved you! Even when I hated you—”

“I hate people who lie to themselves.”

The calm words are louder than a scream and Sasuke snaps his mouth shut with an audible clack at the annoyed expression on the blonde´s face. Naruto sighs, leans forward lightly in his seat, eyes getting brighter in their burning intensity that they pin the Uchiha to his seat with nothing more than a mere gaze.

“But that´s not why I came here. I have a favor to ask of you.”

A hand comes to hold the stomach protectively. Sasuke swallows at the strange air that is making it hard to breath and he´s been entirely to quiet, so he speaks through gritted teeth.

“What do you want?”

“Tell me what you remember after you woke up.”

Sasuke frowns but complies at the strange request.

“The masked guy we had been fighting was dead and Kakashi and you were talking to Zabuza. You know the rest. What´s up with you?”

His question gets ignored as the blonde nods shortly.

“Have you felt anything else? Like a chilling sensation or something? You know, the thing Sakura-chan mentioned while traveling home?”

“Yes.” The Uchiha admits after a pause, as he stares at the unsmiling idiot in front of him with suspicion.

“It was the worst bloodlust I have felt. And…it came from you, didn´t it? I felt it before I passed out. What are you?”

That got a flinch from the blonde, who turned his head away, curling in on himself with such a miserable expression, Sasuke almost regretted asking him. But the power radiating from the intent had been so great, as the destruction it had caused—Sakura had told him that Kakashi had killed the boy, but there had been no ice prison when she came to get them, so it had to be Naruto who fought the boy off on his own while Sasuke had not managed that—he needed to know what that power was.

To kill **him**.

“I am Naruto Uzumaki…your friend even if it´s not mutual. Which is why I must ask you to promise me to run. If you see my Chakra turning red, then take everyone—Sakura-chan, our classmates, villagers— _and run_. Don´t come near me, just run as far as you can away from me. Promise me, Sasuke, that you will do that. Please!”

“What? Why? What´s wrong with you? Why should I—”

“ _Promise_ _me_!”

The cry was raw enough to shake the floor they were sitting on. Sasuke took in the paleness of the blonde´s skin, his ragged appearance and wild eyes, the slight shake of clenched fists and his throat felt dry. The blonde looked like a cornered animal ready to lash out.

“You…You are afraid. Of what are you afraid of this much, Naruto?”

It came out as a hoarse whisper and the blonde flinched back like he was struck. Falling in on himself like a crumbling building. What the heck had happened after they left the office of their Hokage? This was not the over-confident idiot who called himself his rival.

It unnerved Sasuke more than the pressure of blood lust ever had.

“It´s…it´s nothing. Just promise me, Sasuke, that you will do it. Please. It´s for your safety—that chakra…I can´t control it. It´s dangerous and _dark_ and—”

Naruto abruptly cut himself off, shuddering slightly as he shook his head and looked up so that their eyes met.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone—I don’t want to kill you or our classmates or anyone else! So, please, promise me you won´t let me turn into a monster because you were stupid enough to stay, because I didn´t warn you.”

“Fine,” Sasuke agrees, not breaking their eye-contact for even a second. “I promise you, but only if you tell me what kind of power that is and where you got it.”

Deadly silence befalls their room.

Naruto stares at him with wide eyes before his face morphs into an expression between cold disapproval, outrage and panic. It makes Sasuke want to squirm, but he persists.

“I can´t.” At Sasuke´s raised eyebrow and snort, he is quick to explain.

“It´s the truth. I can´t tell you, because it´s an S-Rank secret. If you want to know you have to speak to it about the Hokage, I am sorry.”

“Hn.”

That was disappointing, but the blonde was telling him the truth. Naruto had always been a horrible liar in the Academy, especially if he considered them people close to him and Sasuke still wasn´t sure how to feel about the fact that the blonde had called him his friend.

Itachi´s words echoed in his mind and he pushed him firmly aside. He didn´t want to think about them and the blonde wasn´t his friend.

A rival, maybe, a teammate and nothing more.

He was forced from his musing when he heard the blonde speak up once again.

“Will you still do it?”

“Hn.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me, Sasuke.”

The blonde stood up, smiling brightly—not one of these large ones, but a small soft one and the difference between them is startling for the Uchiha. The living room seems twice as bright and lively with the orange idiot in it, smiling like that.

“I will leave you to brood in your house then. Might want to try to get some plants, it seems lonely in here. Or try to grow some tomatoes, you like these, right? It isn´t too hard.”

Before Sasuke has a chance to speak up the blonde is out of the door and he´s left alone in the leery silence of the large house.

“Dope.”

He says as he stands and moves up the stairs to his room. How the blonde knew his favorite food was a mystery to him. He remembers Kakashi telling them that they´d have a week off from any kind of mission to recover since it was their first C-rank mission and lays down in his bed.

Sleep comes to him a bit easier than normal, even when his thoughts are running a mile per second.

The next morning Sasuke is up early and goes to the Hokage Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is curious about his teammate and is about to get some answers.  
> It´s about to get to the fuffy part in a few chapters, since I plan on making their friendship a bit of a main focus of this story, because what they had in the Manga in the early chapters couldn´t be called friendship in my books. And the fact that Kushina and Mikoto had been such good friends should have made it possible for these two to have a closer relationship that didn´t involve trying to kill each other.  
> These updates are gonig to be fast for a few days, since I have written a few chapters already.


	3. Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for leaving a comment! I am not replying to them right now, because I am still trying to figure out how this site functions.  
> Anyway, let´s get on to the chapter.  
> Sasuke has a talk with the Hokage which leads to consequences while Sakura talks with her rival.

“Sasuke-kun, what brings you to me?”

  
Hiruzen knows the moment the boy steps in through the door, that his peaceful morning is nothing more but wishful thinking at that point. The boy looks determined, eyes dark and serious as he quickly stepsinto the office.

“I wish to talk about an S-Rank secret, Hokage-sama.”

His heart drops and he forces himself not to outwardly react. He gestures for the boy to sit, while signaling for the Anbu in the room to leave them as he seals it shut. Sasuke sits down stiffly on the edge of the seat and the Sandaime nods at him.

“What kind of S-Rank secret? I hope you know that you cannot talk about any secret of that Rank without permission.”

“The do—Naruto came to talk to me yesterday.”

That wasn´t good. Hiruzen hoped the boy had done nothing to endanger a possible friendship that would benefit both young boys that desperately needed a friend. Children hardly were as understanding as mature teens and an early revelation would make it harder to make friends later.  
With a forced smile, he gestured for the boy to continue.

“He said that he was dangerous when his Chakra turned red and that he couldn´t tell me because it was a secret. Since he couldn´t tell me then I decided to come and ask you, Hokage-sama.”

Sasuke seemed to consider his next words as the Hokage winced slightly, before he merciless tackled on the next words with an accusing tone to them.

“Naruto asked me to stay away from him if he uses it again. I believe that as his teammate I am inclined to know what is scaring my teammate so much that he wants me to run away from him.”

“I see.”

This was worse than he´d thought. The Sandaime longed for his pipe, as he rubbed his forehead to avoid a headache. He´d failed so spectacularly regarding his surrogate grandson. The talk he had with the boy had seemingly done more bad than good despite the intentions of warning the boy to be careful, for his own health. The Kyuubi was a dangerous creature and he remembered clearly how Kushina had suffered from her lapse of control. Any other person who was not part of the Uzumaki Clan would have been crippled from the burns one could receive from the malice-filled Chakra.  
But he´d forgotten that it wasn´t just Kushina´s stubbornness in her son, but the perceptive and shrewd thoughts of Minato as well. The boy had misunderstood his words and found twisted meanings in them while there had been none—but that was his fault. Naruto was a child who needed affection and gentle guiding rather than brash scoldings, but his concern had gotten the better of him. Their relationship was strained from the revelation of the Kyuubi and the betrayal of the blind trust had made Naruto wary of his sincerity.  
He messed up once again and forced the blonde to act.  
And let the boy escape without trying to explain and reassure him. He´d taken the action he´d think would suit Kushina—who´d blow of steam rather than listen further to his words—and had not counted on the fact that the blonde would fester his thoughts like Minato tended to do when left alone.  
The consequence was standing in front of him. Nonetheless, he´d could try to make up and prevent more damage that was to come.

“I am afraid I cannot tell you about the secret, my boy, but it is correct that the red Chakra is dangerous—which does not mean your teammate is. It´s a complicated matter but you must remember that Naruto is Naruto and he´s not the first forced into such a position. Your mother´s best friend had been in the same predicament, but firstly, I would like to hear what your course of action was, Sasuke-kun.”

This was a dangerous gamble, but the boy had tensed up and soften all the same at his mother´s term. Sasuke blinked, gaze unfocused for a moment before his face blanked again.

“My mother…? I promised him to run if I saw his Chakra turn red, but that doesn´t mean I can´t break it, since the moron did not make me swear on anything I value.”

“Ah…the clan laws and traditions. I would advice against breaking a promise to Naruto. He takes them very seriously and you might break the trust he put in you to keep it if you make it a habit. Especially on sensitive matters such as this, but I am glad to hear that you won´t avoid him. Your parents were close friends, Sasuke-kun, but you cannot tell Naruto that. It is an S-rank secret as well.”

Sasuke´s gasp and open expression made the Sandaime fall silent. He waited for the boy to come to terms with the sudden information. Sasuke blinked a few times, eyes oddly vulnerable.

“But they are his parents…”

“Yes, but they had a lot of enemies.”

Sasuke nodded absentmindedly, staring at his lap as Hiruzen forced his eyes not to stray to the picture frame hanging the corner of the room.

“Were they…were they close?”

It was with a swell of nostalgia as he recalled the four of them, all perished.

“Yes. Your mothers were like sisters and were talking about you becoming friends as soon as they knew they´d have two boys nearly the same age. Naruto´s mother always caused quite the mischief with her pranks on your father to lighten up the Uchiha estate. Your Father´s closest friend had been Naruto´s father as they enjoyed playing shogi once a week.”

“Did she…did she care? About the red Chakra?”

Sasuke voice sounded choked and the loss of his mother had been the hardest on the boy if the Sandaime called the reports of the hospital correctly. Mikoto had been a wonderful woman with a gentle protectiveness that made everyone feel loved. A trait that had made her Kushina´s best friend early on.

“No, she did not. Neither did your Father, Sasuke. They respected her for carrying such a burden but made no move to scorn her for it and for that she was grateful. Naruto´s mother was quite fierce in protecting your parents on the battlefield like she did all her friends, though her temper was legendary. Fugaku often expressed how her husband managed to survive it.”

“Was my Father different? Before Naruto´s parents died?”

“A bit. He wasn´t intend on getting more power nor as demanding of your brother back then. That was mostly because neither Naruto´s mother nor his Father cared about the so-called curse of the Uchiha. They made sure the whole village knew how ridiculous they thought that rumor was and visited regularly. Fugaku seemed to isolate your Clan after their death and people grew wary once again.”  
Maybe it was a bit too much to reveal, but Hiruzen still had a lot of regret and guilt concerning the Uchiha clan and young Sasuke and Itachi in general. It was a small price to pay if it helped Naruto make a friend.

“Thank you for telling me this, Hokage-sama, but I have to go.”

Sasuke stood up, looking pale and eyeing the door as he waited for dismissal. The Sandaime smiled kindly as he reached for his pipe.

“Of course, my boy, but remember that you are forbidden from telling anyone. And Sasuke,” He stopped the boy just at the door. “tell Naruto to come visit this old man when he feels ready to talk. I miss him.”

When the door closed, he let out a long sigh, glancing at the picture of the Fourth with sad eyes.

“I hope these two will manage now. It´d be interesting to see if they´d cause half the trouble you and Fugaku did. I hope your boy didn´t inherit your talent for naming your jutsu. Fugaku hadn´t stopped teasing you about your original name of the Rasengan until that fateful day.”

He took a long drag of his pipe, smiling as he looked out of the window.

“And he´d just disappeared afterwards?”

Sakura stared with visible skepticism at her former best friend who huffed and nodded, long pony-tail flying with the motion.

“Yeah! Even Asuma-sensei couldn´t detect him anymore! It was like a total different person stood in front of me! He actually looked scary in that moment and he spoke in a normal voice!”  
Ino pouted a bit, crossing her arms as she leaned over the counter in the shop.  
“Shikamaru went to visit him yesterday, but he wasn´t there. The lazy-ass was so worried he walked to an empty apartment just to check on the guy! I had to listen to Shikamaru´s whining the whole morning!”

“Is that so? Well, maybe Naruto still feels a bit down after our mission. He had a long talk with the Hokage yesterday.”

“He did? Aren´t these two close? Must have been real heavy then for him to act like that. Speaking of that mission, I am glad you´re all back and alive, but if I must listen to Shikamaru mule with Choji over the plans Naruto thought of while they were pranking in school one more time, I will strangle them. It´s like Shikamaru is convinced that Naruto´s just playing dumb after I told him of your mission! Or like secretly smarter than what we gave him credit for!”

Sakura nodded to what her rival was saying half-heartedly. She´d tried to cheer the blonde up a bit on their journey to return to Konoha, but it had seemed to do little to her teammate. It was like his entire focus was on something else and she caught him more than once staring at the ground while they walked with something akin to grim thoughtfulness on his face.  
She didn´t like that.

“That´s my teammate you are talking about. The plan wasn´t a bad one, Zabuza was as strong as Kakashi-sensei and he faced him. That deserves a little credit.”

She defended her teammate and Ino snorted.

“I will believe it when I see it, forehead. That was more like idiotic reckless than bravery in my books, but if you want to show him a bit kindness, who am I to deny you giving your puppy a bit of affection after kicking him aside?”

“Shut up.”

That was a bit cruel, Sakura thought, even if Ino felt angry for being snapped at by the blonde. Naruto had gotten their sensei out of a tight spot and faced a dangerous Shinobi because of the headband he´d gotten from Iruka-sensei. He´d helped a whole village and the sheer look of relief and joy on his face when he´d seen that Sasuke was breathing had made her heart clench—he´d looked like he expected her to blame him for Sasuke´s possible death! —which was absurd. Why would she when they all knew the dangers? Also, Naruto was faster than her—he´d had enough stamina to outlast the whole class in their training at the Academy since he was a child and from what she heard, he was extremely fast if he wanted to be. Which made him physically better than her, so he was the better choice to assist Sasuke in their fight if their opponent was half as strong as Zabuza.  
Also, she had been scared. Barely dared to breath, let alone force her legs to work. She had no right to judge.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Sakura shot back, angry at the blonde for Naruto, she´d never thought she´d see the day. “You´re just angry because he talked back for once! I bet you were rude to him, weren´t you? So, it´s not his fault for snapping after almost dying! What he did was brave, whenever you like him personally or not, and I am not letting you belittle him for something that saved not only Kakashi-sensei´s life, but mine and Sasuke-kun´s as well!”

She turned around and left the shop with Ino spluttering behind her and stopped when she saw her crush walking in the street. Exhaling sharply, she jogged up to him.

“Hello, Sasuke-kun!”

“Sakura.”

She beamed at him—he was finally acknowledging her instead of walking off! This was her chance! She´d show him how nice and kind she was and he´d finally let her in to heal him! She´d be the person who was by his side so he wasn´t all alone anymore.

“How are you doing? Do your wounds still hurt? Ah, silly, they healed awhile ago, right? Do you need something? Or do you want to walk with me? We could—”

“Do you know where Naruto is?”

Bitter disappointment filled her as she stopped talking at his interruption. She felt a flash of resentment fill her. Why was it always Naruto that caught his attention? The blonde was nothing special, he wasn´t even liked by most people in the village—so why did he hold Sasuke´s interest?

“Why do you want to know, Sasuke-kun?”

Sasuke´s eyes flashed impatiently as he stared at her in distain. She tried not to falter at that.

“Because I want to talk to him, have you seen him or not?”

“Shikamaru went to visit him yesterday after seeing him in the forest near their training ground, but he wasn´t at his apartment. Maybe Iruka-sensei knows.”

She suggests meekly, and it hurts when he turns to leave without thanking her. But he seemed to be in a hurry, almost frantic to find their blonde teammate and that has to be the most emotional she´d seen him in that could be counted as positive as opposed to his snappish remarks and dark glares, so she lets it go.  
Whatever him and Naruto were fighting about or so, could be resolved and then she´d try again when he felt better. Eventually, his walls would crumble and he´d let her in and they could be happy.

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is pretty short, I will try to make them longer!  
> The next update will be soon, to make up for the shortness of the chapter!  
> I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of this story and stay tuned for more.


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